In an impressive show of skills, Stettler Panthers took on Lacombe Explosion on Saturday, Oct. 24 although the game ended in a tie.
Carson Mottus of Panthers scored the first touchdown run with a 11-yard dash breaking through the defence of Explosion.
Speaking of the TD, Ernie Shireff said, "We went into the game without our starting halfback David Butterwick, but Carson stepped up and played an outstanding game and was a huge part of this result."
Panthers have had an outstanding season this year with a long winning streak, only to be broken by their defeat to Sylvan Lake.
"The team as a whole played much more physical than they did in our loss to Sylvan Lake," said Shireff. "Lacombe was a bigger team than us but I think we were the more aggressive squad all day."
But what looked like a Panthers game throughout suddenly turned the other way, with Explosion scoring a touchdown in the third.
"Unfortunately a turnover in the third quarter led to their only score a couple of plays after, but the boys played an outstanding defensive game," added Shireff.
Speaking of the game on Saturday, Zeke Ryan, the defensive coordinator, said, "It was a good tie game on Saturday, and our team played perfect."
According to Ryan, the team has some amazing players.
"These boys are amazing and can only do what they can do, what happens will happen," said Ryan. "We go forward with what we know, as it is what it is. I have faith in these boys, and as a defensive coordinator my defence rocks."
Ryan said that there will be no changes made and that it was "all about the boys having fun and enjoying themselves."
"We finished fourth for the season, a great result considering how young our team is," said Shireff. "A rookie quarterback, Garnett Kromm has been a solid contributor and our offensive line has started to create some holes for our fullback Jacob Cottam."
Stettler Panthers will face Sylvan Lake on Saturday in Sylvan Lake in a league semi-final game.
"We are in for a tough game on Saturday, but we hope to have a better effort than last week and we will continue to try to improve our tackling and aggression," said Shireff.